Covering topics on religion, philosophy and life, this blog attempts to make biblical truths simple for the average believer. As porridge is soft to aid digestion, so the blog contents are easily understood.
However, there is also meaty stuff for those who aspire to go deeper. The relevance of the Bible in our daily life (areas such as finances, sex, marriage, health and emotional healing) is also dealt with.

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Tuesday, 30 June 2015

When it comes to sexual orientation, we are free to choose whatever rainbow we wish—whether it is the rainbow with six colours, symbolic of the gay movement, OR the rainbow that reflects God’s faithfulness to His promise. But, having decided, we cannot choose the consequences of our decision.

Recently, the US Supreme Court passed a ruling to legalise same-sex marriage. The gay movement was jubilant over this verdict. Many who identify themselves as homosexuals celebrated by putting a six-colour rainbow on their Facebook profile as the rainbow is an established symbol of the gay movement. *

Whereas the typical rainbow has seven colours, the rainbow adopted by the gay movement on social media is a six-colour one.

Some say that the gender of one’s sex partner is a matter of personal preference—just like some people relish spicy food while others delight in milder, non-spicy food. Or, using another analogy, some like butter cake while others dread it. God would understand, they argue. After all, isn’t He a God of love? Won’t He accept our choice of sexual partner, even if it is the same sex, as long as everything is done in the name of love between consenting adults?

If Mother Nature had intended us to have same-sex partners, she must have made some serious mistakes along the way.

Pic:AskDrBrown. It is called common sense. It is called the wisdom of Mother Nature.

First, let’s reflect on the wisdom behind Mother Nature’s design of the male and female anatomy. Even if we don’t believe in God, we can observe and learn much. A spontaneous “lock and key mechanism” is activated when a man and a woman engage in sex, not when lesbians have sex. The latter would have to improvise or make use of sex toys to make it happen.

Furthermore, the sexual act between heterosexual partners has the potential of producing offspring, thus completing Mother Nature’s cycle of life where seniors get replaced by the young. However, if male homosexuals were to engage in sex, they would be “firing blanks” for the “receiving end” is unfruitful.

By the way, isn’t it repulsive and against the order of nature to mix recreational activity and excretory function in the same conduit? Amphibians, reptiles and birds have a common outlet, termed the cloaca (‘sewer’), into which the intestinal, urinary, and genital tracts open. It is not present in placental mammals. Why should man stoop so low to follow members of the animal kingdom lower in the creation order?

If same-sex partners want to have children, they would have to adopt or employ surrogate mothers, which is not natural and spontaneous. And how could they declare to their friends that their children look like them or are as smart like them?

(They may be able to appreciate the genetic input from one of the same-sex partners).Will their children, whether through adoption or surrogacy, be able to appreciate the tender, loving care of a mother balanced with the discipline and protection of a father, such as can only be found in a traditional family unit?

For the above reasons, same-sex sexual orientation was clearly not Mother Nature’s intention from the very beginning. It seems that she did not make any mistake at all.

As to whether we are born gay, many of the initial studies, which were highly touted as "proof" for a biological (genetic) basis for homosexuality, have been contradicted later by more thorough studies.

Next, we consider the biblical view of sexuality and sexual orientation.

God created man as male and female with distinctive features and having a natural affinity for the opposite sex. God put in man sexual urges and desires for the opposite sex.

The Bible is clear and unequivocal in its stand on homosexuality: “Because of this, God gave them over to shameful lusts. Even their women exchanged natural relations for unnatural ones. In the same way, the men also abandoned natural relations with women and were inflamed with lust for one another. Men committed indecent acts with other men, and received in themselves the due penalty for their perversion” (Romans 1:26-27).

God condemns such unnatural sex both in the Old and New Testament. He sent fire and brimstone raining down on Sodom because its inhabitants practised sodomy.

The Bible states clearly that there is no provision for any alternative lifestyle for sexual fulfillment apart from a monogamous, heterosexual relationship between a man and a woman who are committed to one another by marriage. http://bit.ly/19dSlGo

Following the landmark court ruling in US, while worshipping in church, the thought crossed my mind that most worship songs highlight God’s love and mercy rather than His justice and righteousness.

It’s typical of human nature to emphasise the love and mercy of God—His willingness to forgive. We tend to downplay His wrath and judgment, forgetting that His harsher side—justice and righteousness—is just as real and significant.

To presume that God loves us whatever our choice of sexual partners—even if they are of the same sex—is dangerous. To think that sexual orientation does not matter as long as everything is done in the name of love between consenting adults is being presumptuous.

God loves us but He will definitely punish those who go against His laws, including those who commit homosexuality.

Why? It’s because the foundation of His throne is built on righteousness and justice (Psalm 89:14).

“The Lord, the Lord, a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness, keeping steadfast love for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, but who will by no means clear the guilty, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children and the children's children, to the third and the fourth generation.”

(Exodus 34:6-7)

Jesus forgave the woman caught in the act of adultery, unlike the crowd who wanted to stone her. But He also required that she repented of her sinful lifestyle: “Go and sin no more” (John 8: 11).

Jesus is gracious to forgive. But He also demands that whoever He forgives must not willfully continue living in sin.

When it comes to sexual orientation, we are free to choose whatever rainbow we wish—whether it is the rainbow with six colours, symbolic of the gay movement, OR the rainbow that reflects God’s faithfulness to His promise. But, having decided, we cannot choose the consequences of our decision.

We can choose either to reject or obey God’s laws. But, having done so, we cannot choose the consequences of our decision.

FOOTNOTES

HOMOSEXUALITY: A BALANCED APPROACH

Though the Bible is firm and unequivocal in its stand on homosexuality, how we approach the homosexual as a person is strikingly different. We don't condone the practice as the Bible does not approve of it. But we love the homosexual, putting ourselves in his or her shoes, that he or she has already suffered enough, having to face the pressure from society’s disapproval.

Just as how Jesus dealt with the loose women who crossed His path, we must treat the homosexual with love, compassion, empathy and a non-judgmental attitude. We need to treat sexual sins, such as homosexuality, as if they are non-sexual ones such as greed or lying. God’s forgiveness is equally open to those who commit sexual or non-sexual sins.

** THE RAINBOW—GOD’S PROMISE NEVER TO DESTROY MAN THROUGH A GLOBAL FLOOD

A rainbow is produced by the refraction and reflection of the sun's light through raindrops. Its appearance shows us that rain has stopped.

After the great flood, God made a covenant with Noah that “never again will floodwaters kill all living creatures; never again will a flood destroy the earth." He then set a rainbow in the sky to symbolise the covenant He made with the Noah and the inhabitants of the earth, even future generations (Genesis 9: 11-13)

Thus the rainbow is the seal of God’s covenant that He will never destroy man through a global flood again (Genesis 9:15).

Today, the institution of marriage has come under attack from so many quarters. Man has rationalised practices like fornication, trial marriages, co-habitation, homosexuality, adultery, divorce and re-marriage.

Mae West was quoted as saying, “Marriage is a great institution, but I’m not ready for an institution.”

In the end times that we're now living in, there will be two sharply contrasting scenarios on earth: While tumultuous signs (earthquakes, wars, famine, pestilence) and the evil deeds of man become more and more pronounced, there is a spiritual awakening of unimaginable scale. While ominous portents and man’s evil increase, God’s glory is being revealed more and more.

John Burton believes that the legalization of homosexuality in the USA is the fault of a sleeping, passive American church that refuses to preach uncomfortable, black and white truth. He believes the question at this hour is not whether God should bring judgment to homosexuals or not.

Friday, 19 June 2015

For Bill Johnson and his followers, the presence of signs and wonders is more important than anything else—the more of the miraculous the better.Should believers be willing to “go off the map”—go beyond what is found in the Word—in order to embrace the realm of the miraculous?

Johnson claims, “For decades the Church has been guilty of creating doctrine to justify their lack of power.” He warns believers of the danger of embracing a “powerless Word”: "Those who feel safe because of their intellectual grasp of Scriptures enjoy a false sense of security. None of us has a full grasp of Scripture, but we all have the Holy Spirit. He is our common denominator who will always lead us into truth. But to follow Him, we must be willing to follow off the map—to go beyond what we know."

Theabove (in blue)**is an attempt by Johnson to denigrate scholarship and the Word to pave the way for believers to venture into the exciting realm of the miraculous.

Firstly, to set the Word against the Holy Spirit does not make sense. The Holy Spirit can only prompt believers to embrace the things found in the Word, not anything that is outside the confines of the Bible. After all, the Holy Spirit is the Spirit of Truth (John 16:13). And the Word is the Truth (John 17:17). Needless to say, we don’t have to set the Word against the Holy Spirit. How can we set one person of the Trinity against another person of the Trinity? Both work together to fulfill a common purpose. Most of the time, we can only know what the Holy Spirit is saying when we have a firm grasp of the Word.

In fact, Christians with a firm grasp of the Word should be more secure—not have a false sense of security as Johnson insinuates—for then they will be able to overcome deception. Those who do not emphasise the objective Word but depend on emotional highs and the leading of various spirits are more likely to falter and be deceived.

Secondly, the Bible is our “map”. To go “beyond what we know”, as Bill Johnson asserts, is to go beyond the bounds of Scripture. When we denigrate the Word and exalt the realm of the supernatural, we no longer have any guide, compass or plumb line. We will be treading on uncharted territories. Whatever supernatural phenomena that we assume as originating from the Holy Spirit may not necessarily be so. That’s dangerous and leaves us at the mercy of deception by diverse spirits. http://bit.ly/1kLjwYF

“I have applied all these things to myself and Apollos for your benefit, brothers, that you may learn by us not to go beyond what is written, that none of you may be puffed up in favor of one against another.”

(1 Corinthians 4:6)

Thirdly, every teacher claims that he or she stands for the truth. But how do we know the truth? Start with the objective Word. Study the whole Word. Be open to the Holy Spirit’s illumination. Learn know how to rightly handle the Word. And then within the constraints of the Word, be open to the workings of the Holy Spirit. http://bit.ly/1nQkr0L

Fourthly, following "off the map” as Johnson teaches, would mean downplaying the Word on the grounds that it hinders the working of the Holy Spirit. Satan would be most glad if believers take this position. This will set believers up for deception by diverse spirits. For deception goes hand in hand with the following: Letting our minds be on passive mode, setting aside of discernment, and downplaying of doctrine and scholarship. As such, believers will play into the hands of the devil if we adopt such a position.

Fifthly, many believers assume that whatever a world famous teacher says must be correct without carefully examining what he teaches—and the spirit behind his teaching. Many say to themselves, “Considering how great is his influence and how great are the “fruits” of his ministry, whatever this illustrious teacher says must be correct.” http://bit.ly/Nlc8cT

But we should not be intimidated or easily influenced by any teacher, no matter how well-known, illustrious or respectable he or she may be. We cannot say to ourselves or others, “Coming from this great man of God, it must be right.” That’s highly dangerous. That is tantamount to prematurely forming our opinion before we have ascertained the validity of his message. No one is free from error, no matter how great he or she is.

The apostle Paul emphasises the importance of sound doctrine which should be upheld at all costs. We need to hold fast to the Word, which must be preserved intact in its unadulterated form.

Watch your life and doctrine closely. Persevere in them, because if you do, you will save both yourself and your hearers. (1 Timothy 4:16)

Follow the pattern of the sound words that you have heard from me, in the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus. By the Holy Spirit who dwells within us, guard the good deposit entrusted to you. (2 Timothy 1: 13-14)

But as for you, continue in what you have learned and have firmly believed, knowing from whom you learned it. (2 Timothy 3: 14)

While it is true that not all the acts of Jesus (or the workings of the Holy Spirit through believers) can be recorded in the Bible (John 21:25), this must not to be used as an excuse to justify “going off the map”.

To imply that the Word should play a less important role in the believer’s life for the sake of greater supernatural experience—that we should be willing to be "led by the spirit" and follow "off the map” if we want to be more adventurous and venture into the realm of the miraculous—is another gospel.The Holy Spirit works in various ways—quiet as well as dramatic:

By the way, Bill Johnson also preaches another gospel in another instance—that Jesus operated only as a man and not God during His earthly ministry. But did Jesusset aside His divinity when He came down to earth?http://bit.ly/1vnWGyq

What does apostle Paul say of those who preach another gospel?

But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach to you a gospel contrary to the one we preached to you, let him be accursed. As we have said before, so now I say again: If anyone is preaching to you a gospel contrary to the one you received, let him be accursed.

(Galatians 1:8-9)

The Bible is the supreme authority in all matters of doctrine and practice (Sola Scriptura). Do not let anyone convince you otherwise.

I bow down toward your holy temple and give thanks to your name for your steadfast love and your faithfulness, for you have exalted above all things your name and your word. (Psalm 138:2)

Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away. (Matthew 24:35)

What could be some of the reasons for Johnson’s stance of downplaying scripture—“going off the map”—in order to pursue the supernatural and miraculous realm?

Could it be his bizarre practice of “sucking the anointing”, promoted among his followers? http://bit.ly/1jQ3vzf

If we are unclear as to what Johnson really means when he says that we need to “follow off the map—to go beyond what we know” (as mentioned in the lintroductory paragraph at the top), this doubt no longer exists.

Why? By this stage, you would have realised that Johnson has really gone "off the map" by denying the deity of Christ, by encouraging members to lie on tombs to suck the anointing, by endorsing New Age teachings and by associating with the outlandish antics of mystic John Crowder.

In our mad scramble to pursue miraculous signs, are we willing to downplay the primacy and supremacy of God’s word (Sola Scriptura)?

No, we must never go "off the map”—that is, entertain doctrines or practices that are beyond the sanction and bounds of the Word. And all miracles or supernatural phenomena should be tested for authenticity against the Word: Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, for many false prophets have gone out into the world.

(1 John 4:1)

For more, search in Facebook for #gravesucking and “Bethel Church and Christianity”

Or downplay the Word, experience all the signs and wonders we want, and get shut out from heaven.

Not everyone who calls out to me, ‘Lord! Lord!’ will enter the Kingdom of Heaven. Only those who actually do the will of my Father in heaven will enter. On judgment day many will say to me, ‘Lord! Lord! We prophesied in your name and cast out demons in your name and performed many miracles in your name.’ But I will reply, ‘I never knew you. Get away from me, you who break God’s laws.’

What does New Age believe? According to Ray Yungen, “Everything that exists, seen or unseen, is made up of energy—tiny particles of vibrating energy, atoms, molecules, protons, etc. All is energy. That energy, they believe, is God, and therefore, all is God. They believe that since we are all part of this ‘God-energy,’ then we, too, are God. God is not seen as a Being that dwells in heaven, but as the universe itself.”

Tuesday, 16 June 2015

We can choose either to obey God or reject His ways. But, having done so, we cannot choose the consequences of our decision.

At conversion, the believer becomes a new creation. His ‘spirit man’ becomes new. His mind has to be progressively renewed. His body wastes away and will only become brand new at the rapture. Does his will—the ability to choose between right and wrong—become brand new?

Sometimes we think that, as a result of the new birth, every part of our lives becomes brand new: Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come (2 Corinthians 5:17).

While it is true that we have died to our old self and now we have new goals, values, worldview and lifestyle, we still retain the privilege of exercising our free will. In other words, our willremains neutral after conversion.

And we can still fall into sin. If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness (1John 1:8-9).

The ability to choose is God’s precious and gracious gift to us. Even after we have become believers, we can choose between pleasing self or obeying God. We can choose between good and evil.

Freedom of choice is something that remains with us even after we have become believers. God does not turn us into robots or automatons.

From the very beginning in the Garden of Eden, the privilege of volition (free will) has always been man’s privilege. Adam and Eve sinned because they chose to listen to the voice of Satan, who deceived them into thinking that they “will not die” but will “be like God” if they took the forbidden fruit (Genesis 3:4-5).

Isn’t it clear throughout the Bible that God grants man the privilege of free will?

Choose this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your fathers served in the region beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you dwell. But as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD.

(Joshua 24:15)

And Elijah came near to all the people and said, “How long will you go limping between two different opinions? If the Lord is God, follow him; but if Baal, then follow him.”

(1 Kings 18:21)

Put off your old self, which belongs to your former manner of life and is corrupt through deceitful desires, and to be renewed in the spirit of your minds, and to put on the new self, created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness.

(Ephesians 4:22-24)

Put to death therefore what is earthly in you: sexual immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry. Put on then, as God's chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience.

(Colossians 3: 5, 12)

For you were called to freedom, brothers. Only do not use your freedom as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another.

(Galatians 5:13)But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh.

(Galatians 5:16)

When tempted, we can either take the path of least resistance or resist. Adam was attracted by the forbidden fruit and fell because he took the easy path. However, the last Adam (Christ), through prayer, resisted the temptation of putting His own comfort above God’s will.

A word of caution, directed especially to youths. When we are young, we have lots of energy. We can make many varied choices in life. We can make good or bad moral choices. We can mix with the right or wrong crowd. We can go to the places that build our character or to sleazy joints. Yes, we have to make sure that we choose well.

Rejoice, O young man, in your youth, and let your heart cheer you in the days of your youth. Walk in the ways of your heart and the sight of your eyes. But know that for all these things God will bring you into judgment.

(Ecclesiastes 11:9)

I am not implying that we can stay strong spirituallyby sheer will power. The spirit indeed is willing but the flesh is weak. We need to watch and pray that we may not enter into temptation (Matthew 26:41). In fact, we need the power of the Holy Spirit to resist temptation.

The book of Proverbs repeatedly warns against sexual promiscuity. It offers fatherly advice to men to resist the enticement of wayward woman lest they suffer loss both in this world and the world to come. They are to run away from the scene of temptation; to linger on, trying to figure out whether they are strong enough to resist temptation would be futile (Proverbs 5: 1-12). Choosing to run away would be the best course of action to take, just like Joseph’s fleeing from the temptation by Potiphar’s wife.

It would be a grievous mistake to assume that a believers’ will is made completely new at conversion and that, in our faith journey, we will never fall away, deny God or give up our faith. To think in this manner is to breed complacency and set ourselves up for deception.

For many believers—even great leaders—have fallen. And many more believers will continue to fall if they persist in embracing these false beliefs:

that their will has been completely renewed at the point of conversion.

that free will is unimportant and plays a minor role in the lives.

To reiterate, though our ‘spirit man’ has been made new at conversion (2 Corinthians 5:17), our will remains neutral. We can still fall into immorality just like the Exodus crowd if we are not vigilant (1 Corinthians 10:1-12). Even the great apostle Paul had to exercise discipline in the spiritual race so that he will not be disqualified (1 Corinthians 9: 24-27). We can still deny God even though we have been believers for many years (2 Timothy 2: 12-13, 2 Peter 2:20).

Whether they are men or angels, all of God’s creation can choose to obey Him or rebel against Him. This freedom of choice comes with a catch. Those who rebel against His authority will be held accountable. They will have to face judgment eventually (Jude 1:5-7).

Now I want to remind you, although you once fully knew it, that Jesus, who saved a people out of the land of Egypt, afterward destroyed those who did not believe. And the angels who did not stay within their own position of authority, but left their proper dwelling, he has kept in eternal chains under gloomy darkness until the judgment of the great day—just as Sodom and Gomorrah and the surrounding cities, which likewise indulged in sexual immorality and pursued unnatural desire, serve as an example by undergoing a punishment of eternal fire.

(Jude 1:5-7).

God has been most gracious to us by giving us freedom of choice. As believers, we still retain this privilege of exercising our free will.

We can choose either to obey God or reject His ways. However, having done so, we cannot choose the consequences of our decision.

Sometimes we think that the Christian life is merely about being led by the Spirit. We think that our ability to think, reason or choose are not important. Well, God does not turn us into robots. He does not pressure us to commit intellectual suicide. In fact, He tells us to think carefully and make the right choice.

“Come. Sit down. Let’s argue this out.”

This is God’s Message:

“If your sins are blood-red,

they’ll be snow-white.

If they’re red like crimson,

they’ll be like wool.

If you’ll willingly obey,

you’ll feast like kings.

But if you’re willful and stubborn,

you’ll die like dogs.”

That’s right. God says so.

(Isaiah 1: 18-20)

So we’d better think carefully of the possible consequences and make the right choice lest we die like animals.

People make bad choices because they don’t seek God and think through the decision-making process, don’t obey the Word of God, don’t seek God’s counselors, and don’t ask their parents or successful people who have already grappled with life’s challenges

“Because of appetite, you make choices. You are free to make choices but, remember, you are not free to escape its consequences.”

“I tell singles the 3 M’s of life, the choices. The first ‘M’ is master, that’s important. The next one is mission, and the last one is mate. So, I pray that you make Jesus your master. Once you make Jesus your master, He will tell you your mission. And the next one is mate. Life is about choices.”